India's fine run in the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament continued with a third straight win. Five-time champions India beat Japan 4-1 in their third match of the tournament, strengthening their grip on the points table.
The standout performer was young striker Abhishek Nain, who made his 150th international match memorable with two fine field goals. He scored in the 11th and 51st minutes to break open Japan's defence. Captain Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty corner in the 47th minute, and Vishnukant Singh added the fourth field goal in the 56th minute to shut every door on a Japanese comeback. Japan's only goal came from Shota Yamada, who scored from a penalty stroke in the 15th minute.
A slow start, then Nain breaks through
Japan started aggressively and put India's defenders under pressure early on. India's midfield and forward line looked short of coordination in the opening minutes, and the attack looked a little weak without regular player Mandeep Singh. Vice-captain Hardik Singh worked hard alone in midfield, and in the 11th minute he combined with Sukhjeet and Abhishek to set up the team's first goal.
Japan hit back, then India took control
Japan threw everything into finding an equaliser. Late in the first quarter they won penalty corners in succession, and when the ball struck Indian player Sanjay's body, Japan earned a penalty stroke that Yamada converted to make it 1-1. Japan's defenders then marked tightly man to man, giving India's forwards little room, and the teams went into half-time level at 1-1.
Three goals in the last two quarters
India changed tactics after half-time and raised the pace. Short passes and sharp moves began to cut through Japan's defence, and three back-to-back goals in the last two quarters took the match completely out of Japan's reach. India had earlier beaten Bangladesh 13-0 and China 5-2 in the tournament, and now face Malaysia on Sunday in their next match.
